The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a priority to reduce disparities in socio economics and health within the next generation. To inform global health initiatives, advance nursing science, and provide data for evidenced based practice, pilot studies were conducted with parents from underserved communities in urban areas and rural areas of the United States. The purpose of these studies was to identify intervention points for nurses in practice and research specifically who are focused on health promotion and disease prevention in the areas of screening for genetic illness (genetic testing) and HPV Immunization. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the perceived risk and benefits toward genetic testing and among these vulnerable populations. We sought to compare and contrast these findings to elucidate research on health promotion and inform evidenced based practice for nursing and the health sciences.
Methods:
After Institutional Review Board approval and meetings with rural community gatekeepers and leaders, a survey was developed to determine parents’ levels of knowledge regarding health promotion for their children. Parent Participants completed an 89 item survey that captured 135 participants and their overall health choices and decisions related to health promotion practices in their families and communities.
Results:
There were 136 participants (18% males, 82% females) the mean age was 38 years +/- the SD. Descriptive statistics revealed that over 45 percent of parents felt their knowledge about genetic testing and screening was inadequate of non- existent. In addition over 80% of parents knew no one who had ever had any DNA testing and 65% did not understand the connection between Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cancer. In general quantitative results supported three common issues among all groups of parents: (a) fear of poor health outcomes for their children, (b) lack of knowledge regarding HPV vaccination and genetic testing, and (c) concerns regarding cost. Data also revealed concerns genetic testing included cost and application to being able to improve the individuals’ health. Limited knowledge of what genetic screening is and the uses of genetic testing were the majority and also identify the need for increased education in this area of health promotion. These findings high light the need for future investigations that include testing ways to increase health promotion education using culturally relevant approaches that are acceptable to parents regardless of geography, economy or cultural background. Additional anaylsis will also be shared.
Conclusion:
Our findings are consistent with those reported in the literature, the National HPV Vaccine Roundtable and highlight the stigma surrounding HPV vaccination and genetic testing. Novel advances in immunization including emerging vaccines for Zika virus as well as the current advances in genetic technology highlight the need for health promotion education in underserved populations to ensure uptake and answer the call from WHO to decrease health care disparities within the next generation. Nurses and nurse researchers who engage in health promotion as part of their research and evidenced based practice in any country can adapt the findings to improve outcomes for patients and families.